Blake Snyder - Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need

One of the most comprehensive and insightful how-tos out there. Save the Cat! is a must-read for both the novice and the professional screenwriter.

Todd Black, Producer, The Weather Man, S.W.A.T,
Alex and Emma, Antwone Fisher

Want to know how to be a successful writer in Hollywood? The answers are here. Blake Snyder has written an insiders book thats informative and funny, too.

David Hoberman, Producer, The Shaggy Dog (2005),
Raising Helen, Walking Tall, Bringing Down the House, Monk (TV)

This just may be the BEST book youll ever need, or read, on the subject of how to break into the big screen big time. Snyder is a working, selling writer himself, so he gives the reader a true inside glimpse into what its like, what it takes, and what to expect on the long road to screenwriting stardom. Many screenwriting how-to tomes are written by guys and gals who have few or no real studio credits, so with this book you can be sure you are getting the info direct from the source of a successful member of the Hollywood elite. This is no doubt the one book that will do more to help you achieve success and get your two-brad-bound puppy through the door than any other Ive read so far. And believe me, folks, Ive read them all.

Marie Jones, www.AbsoluteWrite.com

Youd have to look far and wide to find a better book to help you achieve your goals. Quite simply one of the most practical guides to writing mainstream spec scripts on the market.

Screentalk Magazine

Blake Snyders Save the Cat! could also be called Save the Screenwriter!, because thats exactly what it will do: Save the screenwriter time, save the screenwriter frustration, and save the screenwriters sanity. Blake takes you behind the scenes and into the decision-makers offices as he explains how the Hollywood system works and what writers should do and expect as they journey through the perilous maze of Hollywood.

Andy Cohen, Literary Manager/Producer; President,
Grade A Entertainment

Shockingly informative, stunningly funny I wish Id had Save the Cat! to read when I was just starting out. It would have saved time, tears, and trees.

Susan Jansen, Writer-Producer, The Lizzie McGuire
Movie, Maybe This Time (TV), Boy Meets World (TV);
Writer, Home Improvement (TV)

Save the Cat! offers the insight and knowledge needed to write and sell screenplays in todays competitive marketplace. Fun, fresh, and informative. Way to go, Blake!

Valarie Phillips, Head of Motion Picture Literary,
Paradigm Agency

Blake is one of the brightest and most original thinkers in screen-writing today. His how-to approach is Grade-A, rock-solid advice.

Craig Baumgarten, Producer, Peter Pan, Shattered Glass

As an executive I always looked for a way to fix an existing screenplay. And now, as a producer, I need a way to conceptualize as quickly and efficiently as possible and Blake Snyders insightful book is it!

Kathryn Sommer Parry, Producer, The Marine (2005);
Development Executive, Basic Instinct, Rambo, Terminator 2,
Chaplin, 12 Monkeys, I Spy

Imagine what would happen in a town where more writers approached screenwriting the way Blake suggests? My weekend read would dramatically improve, both in sellable/producible content and in discovering new writers who understand the craft of storytelling and can be hired on assignment for ideas we already have in house. Save the Cat! is like a Berlitz guide to interpreting the secret language of every studio exec and producer in town. Once you learn to think like the people with the checkbook, youre one step closer to success.

From the Foreword by Sheila Hanahan Taylor,
Vice President, Development at Zide/Perry Entertainment

The official stamp of approval of the Save the Cat method from Sheila Hanahan Taylor, producer and development executive for Zide/Perry (American Pie, Final Destination, Hellboy)

Why another screenwriting book? Some background on the author and the reason for the book And what does the phrase Save the Cat mean anyway?

The importance of the idea What is a logline and what are the four requirements to creating a better one? What is high concept and why is it still relevant? Test pitching your movie for fun and profit Plus five games to jump-start your idea-creating skills.

All about genre The 10 genres that every movie ever made can be categorized by How genre is important to you and your movie Plus ways to peg every movies type.

The subject is the hero Why the hero must serve the idea How to adjust the hero to make your movie idea work better The myth of casting your movie Jungian archetypes and why we need em.

The beats of a movie as defined by the official Blake Snyder Beat Sheet a.k.a. the BS2 An in-depth discussion of each of the 15 beats found in a successful movie as found in the BS2 How the beats apply to Miss Congeniality.

CHAPTER FIVE: BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST
Putting it up on the board Sectioning off four horizontal rows, one for each section of the movie 40 index cards and 40 only! Troubleshooting based on the layout How a screenplay is like a business plan and how you can create one that sells.

Common sense rules of screenwriting based on experience in the trenches of Hollywood, such as: Save the Cat, The Pope in the Pool, DoubleMumbo Jumbo, Laying Pipe, Too Much Marzipan a.k.a. Black Vet, WatchOut for That Glacier!, and Covenant of the Arc.

Despite everything, youve written 110 pages of nada How to get back on track by using 6 fast double-checks on your work: The Hero Leads; Make The Bad Guy Badder; Turn, Turn, Turn; The Emotional Color Wheel; Hi How Are You Im Fine; Take A Step Back all ironclad and proven rules for script repair.

Before you send your script out, how can you smooth the way? Marketing ideas for both the newbie and the established professional that will help you get your script sold and made Plus personal examples.

From A to Z, a review of every slangy STC expression and Hollywood-inside-the-310-area-code term.